C/2016 M1 (PANSTARRS) |
ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
Nearest approach | 24 Jun 2018 | 8.7 | 2.278 AU | 1.293 AU | 18h07m | -42°22' | 161.0° | 8.4° | 4° |
Perihelion | 10 Aug 2018 | 9.3 | 2.214 AU | 1.790 AU | 15h00m | -57°05' | 100.6° | 26.7° | 102° |
Today | 13 Oct 2025 | 26.4 | 18.951 AU | 18.669 AU | 06h21m | +13°09' | 104.9° | 2.9° | 275° |
C/2016 M1 (PANSTARRS)- 2025-10-13
astro.vanbuitenen.nl
The interactive orbit chart above shows the comet's path through the solar system and its position at the given date.
Green and blue lines are shown perpendicular to the ecliptic plane: Green if the path is above the ecliptic plane, blue if it is below.
(Left-click and drag to rotate the view; Right-click and drag to move the view; Use scroll wheel to zoom in our out.)
Light curve
The light curve chart below shows the estimated development of the comet's magnitude. Blue and black dots are visual and photometric CCD observations from COBS.
This lightcurve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 3.5 + 5 log[∆] + 12.9 log[r]). An additional green curve is displayed when an increase in apparent brightness is expected due to forward scattering of sunlight, which occurs when a dust-rich comet is located between the Earth and the Sun. (See Marcus 2007)
Charts
The all-sky chart below shows the path of the comet over the same period as the light curve. The comet's current position is marked yellow.
The following chart shows the short-term path of the comet in a field of view that is optimized for (~10x50) binoculars and finderscopes.
Orbital elements
The orbital elements of C/2016 M1 (PANSTARRS) are:
e (Eccentricity) : 0.9998380
q (Perihelion distance) : 2.2139980
i (Inclination) : 90.81310
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 92.27850
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 209.92500
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 91.81050
B (Latitude of perihelion) : -29.92168
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2458340.77320
Epoch : 2023 Sep 24
Reference : MPEC 2022-ED3
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
Ephemerides
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2025-10-13 00:00 UT 06 21 48.9 +13 09 10 18.680 18.946 103.9 2.9 275 26.4
2025-10-13 23:28 UT 06 21 45.2 +13 09 01 18.669 18.951 104.9 2.9 275 26.4
2025-10-14 00:00 UT 06 21 45.1 +13 09 01 18.669 18.951 104.9 2.9 275 26.4
2025-10-15 00:00 UT 06 21 41.1 +13 08 52 18.658 18.956 105.9 2.9 275 26.4
2025-10-16 00:00 UT 06 21 36.9 +13 08 43 18.647 18.962 106.9 2.9 275 26.4
2025-10-17 00:00 UT 06 21 32.5 +13 08 35 18.636 18.967 107.9 2.9 276 26.4
2025-10-18 00:00 UT 06 21 27.8 +13 08 27 18.626 18.972 108.9 2.8 276 26.4
2025-10-19 00:00 UT 06 21 22.9 +13 08 19 18.615 18.977 109.9 2.8 276 26.4
2025-10-20 00:00 UT 06 21 17.9 +13 08 12 18.604 18.983 110.9 2.8 276 26.4
2025-10-21 00:00 UT 06 21 12.6 +13 08 05 18.594 18.988 111.9 2.8 276 26.4
2025-10-22 00:00 UT 06 21 07.0 +13 07 58 18.584 18.993 112.9 2.8 276 26.4
2025-10-23 00:00 UT 06 21 01.3 +13 07 51 18.573 18.998 113.9 2.7 277 26.4
Terminology:
delta: distance between comet and earth in AU
radius: distance between comet and sun in AU
magn: magnitude (brightness) estimate
ra: right ascension in hours (24h = 360deg)
dec: declination in degrees
elong: elongation in degrees (angle sun-earth-comet)
phase: phase angle in degrees (angle sun-comet-earth)
AU: Astronomical Unit (mean distance between earth and sun: 149597870.7 km
Orbital elements usually provided by the MPC (Minor Planet Center).
Observations contributed by observers worldwide, via COBS (Comet Observation Database) or the MPC (Minor Planet Center)
Calculations by a modified version of AAPlus, a C# implementation of the AA+ project by PJ Naughter from the algorithms presented in the book "Astronomical Algorithms" by Jean Meeus.
NGC2000 dso catalog and star labels from VizieR as provided by the Strasbourg astronomical Data Center.
Tycho2 catalog from the ESO archive.